CARMA International

CARMA International is a PR firm. According to its website "CARMA International was created in Washington, D.C. in 1984 by Albert Barr. For nearly two decades, CARMA has been leading the industry as a pioneer in media analysis and PR evaluation. Today we're the world leader in this exciting field, with clients in virtually every sector around the globe." [1]

According to a 1998 PR Watch article, CARMA International was hired by Monsanto in 1998 to monitor media coverage of its genetically-engineered recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) product. The article says: "Extensive media monitoring and aggressive intervention and punishment of offending journalists has been critical to the media management campaign. As early as 1989 the PR firm of Carma International was hired to conduct a computer analysis of every story filed on rBGH, ranking reporters as friends or enemies. This information was used to reward friendly reporters while complaining to editors about those who filed reports that were deemed unfriendly." [2]